Volkswagen history

The word Volkswagen means ‘car of the people’. The company was founded in the 1930s to provide ordinary Germans with an affordable vehicle other than a motorcycle.

At the end of World War Two, the Allied forces took control of Volkswagen’s factory in Wolfsburg. A British major named Ivan Hirst assumed the leading role in reviving the company and making it into a successful post-war automotive manufacturer.

Volkswagen became an important aspect, both economically and symbolically, in the regeneration of West Germany. The vehicles it built during this era, such as the Beetle and Type 2, are recognised as icons today.

Owning a Volkswagen

Over time, Volkswagen has become a symbol of reliability – an emblem of solid German build quality.

Volkswagen epitomised this reputation with its famous 1987 advertisement for the Golf GTI, which had the tagline: ‘Everyone must have something in life he can rely on.’

The traditional view has been that if you buy a Volkswagen, you will have a competent, high-quality vehicle, suitable for all everyday situations.

However, Volkswagen has started losing this hard-earned reputation in recent years. Some Japanese car companies, like Toyota, Mazda and Kia are beating it in reliability surveys.

A major contributing factor to Volkswagen’s decline in reputation is the infamous Dieselgate scandal, which has made many people lose trust in the carmaker.

Volkswagen range overview

Volkswagen is still very much focused on making practical, reliable cars, and it’s certainly successful in doing so. The Golf was the second-best-selling car in the UK in 2016, with 5,455 new registrations.

Volkswagen makes other hatchbacks too - the Up!, Polo, Beetle and Scirocco. Those who need more space are catered for by saloons and estates such as the Jetta, Passat and CC, MPVs like the Golf +, Touran and Sharan, and the Tiguan and Touareg SUVs.

While Volkswagen does not invest heavily in performance vehicles, it does make faster versions of some of its cars. Examples include the Golf GTI, Polo GTI, Golf R and Scirocco R.

Finally, Volkswagen provides for its commercial customers with vans such as the Caddy, Transporter and Crafter. It also makes the Caravelle passenger carrier, California camper van and Amarok pickup truck.

Most popular Volkswagen options on Motors.co.uk

The current most popular Volkswagen is based on the average number of used vehicles currently listed for sale on Motors.co.uk

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